by Loui Downing
‘Ahhh’ screamed Edward as he jumped out of his skin and fell slightly into the fence, breaking some of the panels. He got up quickly as he felt so embarrassed at what had just occurred that he wanted to get his own back as quickly as possible. Francesca and Pennie watched Edward fumble and bump around the entrance to the field, until he fell into the fence and seemed to be injured.
‘What jado that for?’ cried Edward, tearful and now ten times as scared as he was before.
‘Sorry Edward, we just [laughs] thought that… [laughs]’ replied Pennie as she struggled to form words together for she couldn’t stop giggling and replaying what had happened over and over again in her mind. Edward shrugged off the laughs and jokes and walked over to the note, snatching it as if he was unafraid, although his heart raced as he took the note. Edward unravelled the envelope, tearing the overlap open with his finger, revealing a dark and dingy piece of paper and something that felt like stone in the bottom. Edward slid the letter from its compartment and unfolded the used piece of paper which gave his stomach a rumble of shock. The note was written in old English style writing, although the words remained modern English. Edward stood as he read the letter without delay, casting the laughs of the other two into the field.
Field of flies
Three or four, you can’t have more
Burying sight increases fright,
Running circles on this shore
Field of flies flying not night
Seeing as one will helps to plan
Three to one is lead in the hands of a man
Edward didn’t move for a while which Francesca and Pennie finally noticed after they managed to stop their sides splitting. Edward kept reading the letter, slowly reiterating each line trying to decipher what they had to do or what they were not supposed to do.
‘What does it say Ed?’ said Francesca, trying to resume control over the group, although she felt as small as an ant as Edward remained motionless and did not reply. Francesca turned and faced Pennie, giving her a confused expression with an ounce of intrigue about the content of the letter Edward was holding.
‘Come on Ed, tell us!’ snapped Pennie impatiently.
‘I don’t understand it, it is some sort of riddle’ spoke Edward softly to them both and passing the letter over to Francesca. Francesca adjusted the paper so it was the right way around and started to read aloud. Pennie and Edward perched on the hand-built wall that was attached to the fence a few yards away from where Edward fell earlier. The hills and fields around them stretched for miles, small houses and factories visible in the distant shuffling of activity. Edward’s concentration drifted off into over the small village he noticed until he realised that Francesca had purposely stopped reading to ensure his focus.
‘Sorry, I was thinking’ said Edward slowly, struggling to recall the last few words of Francesca’s sentence.
‘I didn’t think you had a sense of wonder’ said Pennie under her breath, which Edward heard and gave her a sympathetic look which made her feel guilty.
‘If we can all concentrate on this then we can win the activity’ said Francesca maturely, referring to the letter for a boost of confidence. Pennie and Edward focused directly and gave the impression they were ready to listen as Francesca read on.
‘The letter sounds like it is meant for all of us individually to form the overall clue or answer’ said Francesca, her mouth widening as she spoke.
‘Obviously the first line is about the group sizes’ interjected Pennie.
‘Yeah that would fit, maybe it means not to eat the flies or something’ said Edward, the two girls gazing at him as if he had claimed to see a flying brigade of pink elephants a moment or two ago.
‘Sometimes I worry about you Edward’ said Francesca, reacting sharply but caringly to his unhelpful comment. The group had a moments rest near the debris of wood and stones whilst they watched the night sky dim and the air freeze, Pennie reached for her jacket in her rucksack and wrapped it on as quickly as possible whilst the others wiggled their toes and rubbed their fingers to keep warm. After around five or six minutes of silence and recuperation Pennie noticed Edward was asleep with his head propped backwards uncomfortably on the rugged stone wall and alerted Francesca to the situation whose eyes were dropping at the time. The swarms of flies and birds swooped low, gradually getting lower and lower until they were barely visible. Francesca sat to the side of the other two as she wanted a bit of peace and quiet, twiddling the letter repetitively between her index finger and thumb. The chilling wind gnawed at Francesca’s uncovered ankles which made her feel as though she had been bitten by a thousand teeth. Squawking screeches and scuttles scowls could be heard from surrounding bushes as the animals and insects prepared for the night. For a moment everything stood very still, no trees swayed, no sounds were heard and all that was visible was the millions of flies dancing above the field until Francesca shockingly saw them dive and disappear into the undergrowth.
‘Hey, did you see that guys?’ said Francesca turning back around to the other two.
‘Whabllaa?’ replied Edward sleepily which Francesca understood as an actual English word.
‘The flies have all disappeared. One minute they were there and the next they were gone’ said Francesca sounding eager in her tone, dying to tell everyone.
‘Oh right, that’s normal isn’t it?’ questioned Edward looking more awake now as he began questioning the fact himself shortly after he had asked the question.
‘Well, not really. It’s common for birds and things to act in this way but normally they don’t all disappear so quickly, there must be a reason for it’ said Francesca convincingly to Edward who seemed to believe everything she said these days.
‘It says something in the letter about the flies doesn’t it?’ said Pennie, making the other two leap out of their skin.
‘So it does, it says ‘field of flies flying not night’ which is basically what I’ve just seen but I wonder what it means though’ said Francesca rhetorically.
‘I suppose it would be quite scary being one of those flies though flying at night, I bet they just wanted to have a sleep and hide from…’ said Edward with a serious delivery in his face, finally drifting to an end.
‘That’s enough Edward, I think we would end up going around in circles if you were the team captain’ interrupted Francesca before Edward could follow up his theory of fly behaviour. Edward looked down at the gravel and then out into the distance, remaining silent for a while which bothered Pennie although Francesca carried on reading the documents and the letter without another seconds thought on the matter.
‘It’s probably nothing anyway’ said Pennie, placing a comforting arm around Edward, which he smiled slightly at her kind hearted nature. The group altogether noticed the sudden drop in temperature as the night sky transformed from gloomy to daunting in a matter of moments, frightening animals and even the children too as they stood closer together for warmth.
‘Why would the teachers let the activity go on so late? It is so cold!’ exclaimed Francesca, applying a white fluffy hat and gloves to her pale cold skin and delicate silky hair. The other two remained quiet and thought about what Francesca had just said; unaware to them she mistakenly misinterpreted the silence as a sign for her abruptness earlier. Francesca was just about to say something until they all were alerted to a high pitch scream coming from over the field.
‘What was that? I don’t like the sound of that!’ cried Edward as he whined at the thought of something scary being nearby, the darkness increasing his fear tremendously.
‘That sounded like Melanie and her group, we need to go and see if they’re ok!’ said Francesca, erecting herself rapidly and separating from the close quarters of the group, making the others feel cold again.
‘That’s crazy, it’s too dark to go over there and what if it isn’t them and it is some scary monster with big teeth that just happens to be hungry’ said Edward, sounding more and more feminine.
‘No
, we need to go, they might be in trouble or something’ said Francesca, surprising Edward and Pennie by her consideration for other people’s feelings.
‘I don’t think it is a good idea Fran’ added Pennie, taking Edwards view as the better one.
‘Well, I’m the captain and I’m going and taking the equipment so either you stay here until you pluck up the courage to go back inside or you come with me and we can work with the other group and finish this thing’ announced Francesca, unhappy with their decision, showing a sign of something bothering her deep down that seemed to be behind her snappy nature just lately. Francesca picked all the documents, rucksacks and jackets and headed to for the cracked and crumpled fence that is the home of the field of flies. Edward and Pennie looked at each other in dismay as they parted their huddle and gathered their things, grudgingly abiding by Francesca’s decision. Edward’s heart raced as they walked towards the fence, looking beyond he saw nothing but long grass and tall prosperous trees. Pennie wasn’t too keen on the field either as she watched Edward sweat profusely, which consequently increased her fear.
The three curiously shaking bodies clambered their way over the fence and into the deserted field, gradually became darker and darker as the blackness covered their eyes like a thick film of night sky. Edward looked back as he walked and took a large gulp as he saw the fence disappear out of sight and be replaced with endless long grass and itchy pollen seeds that lodged up Edward’s nose, making him sneeze loudly, echoing throughout the field, the sound waves desperately seeking something to rebound off. Edward was so nervous that he kept stopping for his imagination kept playing tricks on him, creating visions of large flies, walking and talking to him, which happened so frequently he started to talk back. The others were slightly in front of Edward, who had slowed down in fear and whispered back questions for why they were here and why are they following him. Edward heard a cheer as he saw some commotion ahead; it was Francesca and Pennie jumping for joy at uncovering the edge of the field. The narrow walk way looked darker than the field itself, mist resting above what appeared to be an old bridge and small river below. Francesca and Pennie were extremely brave compared to Edward, although this was making him feel more confident as the activity progressed. Pennie’s outline in the distance showed that of a whaling blob of a shadow, emanating that of an ecstatic discovery of some kind. Edward swiftly moved at a high pace through the stinging clutches of the bushes, ignoring the images and cries beneath the undergrowth as he placed his fingers in his ears and made his way through. He started to see more of Francesca and Pennie and was almost at shouting distance but he was too scared still and thought that if he shouted it may attract unwanted attention to his whereabouts. Edward watched gracefully as Pennie and Francesca disappeared from sight once more to sit down on an old bench that faced the bridge, where they shuffled documents and prepared for the next activity.
‘Hey, we made it then’ said Edward, just arriving a few moments after they had, his eyes were all puffed up and his cheeks were as red as the planet mars.
‘Yeah, now that task is over we need to make swift progress on the others before midnight’ said Pennie, referring to the documents and adjusting her hair and glasses that appeared to have become tangled in the deliberation. On approaching the bridge the three noticed a wonky sign in the damp soil that blew in the light breeze. They all looked at each other in dismay until Pennie decided she was brave enough to go forth and see what it said. Pennie homed in on the chipped white wooden sign, looking around for information but she was utterly disappointed as the sign bore nothing at all, no instructions or any general information. The sign stood there gently sinking in the hungry chocolate soil as Pennie felt despair, for she was expecting a speckle of hope in the journey that started to test her patience.
‘What does it say?’ asked Francesca from afar, shouting at the top of her voice, which was way too loud for Pennie’s ears to comprehend as she covered them instantly.
‘It’s blank’ replied Pennie, shortly after composting herself and anticipating another ear piercing reply.
‘What?’ screamed Edward, sounding more high pitch than he had desired.
‘I know, there’s nothing here except for a dirty sign and…. worms’ said Pennie, looking down at the floor to see a healthy worm enjoying the nutritious soil.
‘Worms! Let me see’ said Edward, eagerly making his way to the sign.
‘Edward, there just worms leave them alone’ replied Francesca condescendingly.
‘It’s not the worms, I mean the sign’ said Edward angrily as his voice tailored off in the wind, of which Francesca struggled to hear the last part and remained certain that he had completely lost his mind. Francesca remained a few yards away, now admiring something yellow from a plant nearby, trying to place her mind anywhere but here. Edward arrived at the sign with his usual extensive optimism as he reached for some glasses and began reading the sign, which raised the eyebrows of Pennie as she looked to Francesca for support but found her unaware of what was happening.
‘Edward what on earth are you doing, if this is another joke then I will be very cross. It is getting dark and late and it is hardly the best time to start messing around?’ said Pennie sternly, grabbing the attention of Francesca and Edward, both of them knowing that things must be bad for her to be in a bad mood.
‘What, I’m reading the sign’ replied Edward, making Pennie become even more frustrated.
‘Edward, please stop!’ replied Pennie softly as she held back her anger.
‘No really it says something, I’ll read it to you, it’s in that old English writing we saw before’ added Edward emotionally as he pleaded with her patience.
‘It is blank I have told you, what do you mean you’re reading it’ asked Pennie, now with an ounce of doubt in her voice. Edward began reading the sign to them all as they listened astonishingly.
Lapsing Leeches
Leech o leech, time for a leech,
Waging their way down yonder,
Enduring taunts of fish no speech,
Where you rest comes with thunder,
One alone will take you kite,
A limit of three is the decree.
Time o time,
.emit o emiT
As Edward read each line delicately to the group, they all couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Edward was sometimes joking around and that is what hindered Francesca’s ability to believe the words leaving his mouth. Pennie stared plainly at him and the blank sign as he read it, shocked that he was actually reading something, but there is nothing there she reassured herself.
‘…emit o emiT’ finished Edward, looking to the others for help with solving the contents, only to see their bamboozled faces.
‘Edward, why are you doing this?’ asked Francesca, sounding deeply concerned for his welfare.
‘Doing what?’ replied Edward instantaneously.
‘You know what, you’re starting to scare us please stop it!’ said Francesca, Pennie nodding her head in agreement as Edward look at her for a second opinion.
‘No you’re the one acting strangely, why can’t you see the words that I’m reading on the sign?’ said Edward sticking up for himself for once, fully regretting it though soon after.
‘There’s NOTHING there Edward!!’ screamed Pennie, who had slumped into a seating position on the ground, her head between her legs looking stressed as she combed her hair frantically with her fingers. For a moment there was a pause and Pennie’s mind started relaxing until she opened her eyes and saw Edward and Francesca now whispering closely and arguing about the sign continuously.
‘Why would I make something like this up?’ asked Edward, questioning his own motive to the group as a way to prove what he read, only to be treated with a shrug and no words from the other two.
‘No, it is definitely blank’ said Francesca as she walked back to where Pennie had slumped, placing an arm around her to comfort her.
‘In the last sign it said someth
ing about a man leading three, maybe I could be that man’ said Edward making an assumption. The other two didn’t move or seem to acknowledge any of what Edward had just said so he decided to take the documents from Pennie and write down the words he read from the sign and solve on his own.
‘It’s too far now, I’m definitely telling Mr Johnson when we finish the activity’ whispered Pennie to Francesca, which Edward heard but made no effort to react and instead he was filled with a deep cutting sensation of guilt for hurting one of his friends, now becoming tearful as he wrote down the words he recalled earlier.
The crackling cold wind brushed up against the three of them, although because the long grass stretched around twice the height of them they were slightly sheltered. Hoots and toots of owls and birds could be heard, along with child-like cries of foxes. Fluttering flaps of bats were heard as their wings collided with leaves and branches, dipping and diving around tall trees and along the pathway the three had previously walked down. The long grass reached for the moonlight as the wind calmly combed through it, bending the long green strands of healthy earth’s hair. The moon propped high above was now being tickled by the earth’s hair, forming a crisp white smile that filled the sky. Stars twinkled brightly in the distance, occasionally being blinded by thin streaks of cloud, one which looked like a giant feather floating the night sky’s ride, the destination unknown to the cloud, its fate being in the hands of the surrounding darkness.
Edward finally lifted his head from the documents and watched a robin settle on a nearby tree branch as it stood motionless he envied the birds simplistic life and wondered for a moment at what life would be like to be literally as free as a bird. He created images of flying high in the sky, looking down on the views below, not a thought of danger in sight until he flew over a village in the countryside that contained fields after fields of yellow and green, a few houses dotted spontaneously and a small gathering of shops that appeared closed from above. As Edward visualised the bird diving low over one particular field he felt free from any trouble, the wind feeling fresh on his face as it passed him, as he visualised the birds eyes closing and its wings being stretched out in the sky as the bird glided freely. Edward noticed a few people walking in a field below as he looked down to see men in red clothes and hats with dogs and horses running riot. Freely the bird drifted until there was an almighty bang and Edward felt the feeling of unimaginable pain as the bird plummeted. Edward awoke from the daydream to notice an empty branch where the robin stood, making him realise how precious life is and that one small thing can change your life forever. Edward couldn’t believe how the other two could just cast his protests aside regardless of how serious he begged. Edward admired the scenery whilst the other two were talking quietly near the sign and bridge, occasionally peering to see if Edward was listening. He felt distant from the group and started to resent them for how he was being treated, after all he was telling the truth.